Subtle lies are the devil’s oldest trick.  The Bible introduces him in the Garden of Eden as more “subtle” than any other beast of the field. (Genesis 3:1). He duped Adam and Eve into believing his subtle lies about God.  That tactic has worked on all of us ever since.

In his book You Can Change, Tim Chester asserts that behind every sin and negative emotion is a lie.  We exchange the truth about God for a lie. (Romans 1:24-25)^[1]  “Did God actually say…?”  “You will not die.”  “You can be like God.”  The devil knows we are too aware to fall for blatant lies.  We would not listen to lies that question the existence of God or the most basic truths of the Bible.  So instead, he plants the tiniest seed of doubt and seeks to cultivate it into full grown disobedience.  If we are not careful, the weeds of subtle lies begin to crowd out and choke the truth in our lives.  

Here we are again.  The start of a New Year.  A couple of things over the last month have put me in a pondering mood at the onset of 2023.  My 58^th birthday on December 9 reminded me that I have come a long way.  Then a week off after Christmas gave me time to reflect back and think forward.

One Scripture provided the catalyst for my meditations.  In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas had the opportunity to preach in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia.  In his Gospel explanation, Paul presented the case for Jesus as Messiah. Part of his case included the Davidic line qualifications of Jesus.

In making that case, Paul pointed out that David was a great King. But Jesus was the Messiah.  Jesus died, was buried, and rose again.  David died, was buried, and his body decomposed.

Yeah, I know.  I’m getting a little morbid here but stick with me. 

December is one of my favorite months.  My birthday is the 9th of this month.  Of course Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year.”  And the end of December closes out a year and welcomes the prospect of a clean slated new year.  For many, however, Christmas gets out of hand. My goal for this season this year is to simplify Christmas.

Recently, a sermon by one of my favorite preachers, Voddie Baucham included something that set me to thinking.  He stated that the Guinness record for the most expensive decorated Christmas tree stands at just over $11 million.  Some of you husbands may want to ask your wife to submit their receipts to Guinness.  They may have surpassed it!

Since Thanksgiving Day is the 24^th of this month,  I want to share with you 24 things for which I am most thankful in 2022.

1.  I am eternally thankful for the grace of God that brought me salvation – past present, and future.  Ephesians 2:8-13

2.  I am thankful for my beautiful bride.  God created a special woman when He created Andrea.  Proverbs 31:10

3.  I am thankful for the world’s greatest daughter. She has been such a joy and blessing from God.  Psalm 127:3

4.  I am thankful for God’s Word. I can testify that is a lamp to my feet and light to my path.  Psalm 119:105

I’ve been reading a lot lately about a move in the workforce called “quiet quitting.”  Quiet quitting happens when an employee decides to not do anything above and beyond his or her job description.  These employees also decide not do engage in any work activity outside of their defined work hours.

Some look at quiet quitting as a healthy decision to set boundaries that bring balance to life.  Others fear quiet quitting may lead to a larger withdrawal of an individual from life’s responsibilities.  I can see the merits of both perspectives, but have no interest in debating it as a workplace practice.

Quiet Quitting and Church

My concern is that I have seen evidence of a quiet quitting among church people over the last several years.  And we cannot blame it all on the pandemic.  It was happening before we ever learned about the new “C-word,” COVID.

My uncle recently posted a quote on Facebook that captured my thoughts: “God is in control, but he doesn’t expect you to lean on a shovel and pray for a hole.”  With so many issues in life, people tend to gravitate toward extremes.  And, if we aren’t careful, we do the same when living out our faith.  We fail to live out our faith between two extremes.

One the one hand, there is the extreme of self-effort.  Some tend to equate spiritual living with “doing better,” “trying harder,” or any number of human efforts.  They measure their worth by their ability to do certain things.  And, sadly, they judge others’ spirituality by the same matrix.

On the other hand, there is the extreme of what I call passive faith.  People with passive faith live by their own rules and pursue their own goals but expect God to intervene. They “let go and let God” as they wait for Him to work in spite of themselves.  

However, true spiritual growth comes not at the extremes but in the vibrant middle.  Consider the following passage:

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12-13

God’s (not Gold’s) Gym Lies Between the Extremes

I like to think of these two verses in terms of physical exercise.  A person who “works out” by lifting weights, hopes that his or her muscles will grow larger.  But their effort does not produce a muscle that is not already there.  Rather, exercise causes the existing muscle to grow larger and stronger.  

Yes, they “work out” but there is already something else that “works in.”  The muscle benefits from protein and carbohydrates fuel the exercise.  The lungs infuse with oxygen the blood that the heart pumps to the muscles.  Oxygen serves as a catalyst for the energy that is created to help the muscles grow larger.

Even before the work OUT, some things are already working IN.  And that is true for us in spiritual growth as well.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Psalm 34:8

In prayer meeting she reported that the medical test came back negative.  The recipient breathed a sigh of relief and proclaimed, “God is good!” 

She told her best friend about an unexpected financial windfall that came just as some unexpected bills came due.  Together they rejoiced as she testified, “God is good!”

He told me the story over lunch of how he had prayed and prayed for God to give him the job for which he applied.  He just knew that job would be the doorway to a happier life.  He finally got the call telling him the job was his.  He smiled as he declared, “God is good!”

We listened in prayer meeting as another “she” reported a positive medical test and terminal diagnosis. We all shed tears, but no one proclaimed, “God is good.”

Another “she” confided in a friend that her worries about her finances.  Her rent was 3 months past due and collectors called every day.  They had some unexpected auto repairs and medical bills and had no money to catch up what they owed.  The friend listened sympathetically, but neither testified of the goodness of God.

I listened to another “he” tell me that his boss called him in unexpectedly and told him they had to let him go.  There was no severance.  He has a wife and three small children and is not sure how they will make ends meet.  He admitted his worry, but we declared nothing about the goodness of God.  

 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 
 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Isaiah 40:28-29

I’ve recently been writing devotional readings based on the names and attributes of God found in the Bible. One of the most meaningful names of God is El Olam. This name of God combines the general Hebrew term (El) with the Hebrew word for everlasting or eternal. (olam).

The very first verse in the Bible tells us that “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”  Before there was a heaven or an earth there was God.  Even before there was a beginning, there was God!

Moses was most likely the author of the oldest Psalm, Psalm 90.  Psalm 90:1-2 tell us that God is from everlasting to everlasting.  Before anything was, God was.  El Olam. He was, is, and always will be.

Time and Place

As finite creatures, we cannot fathom what it means to exist outside of time and place.  But time and place are created realities.  Before God created the universe, there was no place.  Before God created light and set it apart from darkness to form the first day, there was no time.  We cannot comprehend what it means to not be somewhere at some time.